Mind Games
by avatarfan82
Summary: [Future/Modern AU] The suggestion was ridiculous. Who knew getting married required a shrink? Ichigo and Rukia are coerced into premarital counseling. What they learn about each other and themselves will change their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! So, I'm branching out into a new area. This is my first time writing for Bleach and I'm so excited! I love the characters and I can't wait to have fun with this little story.**

**Please feel free to let me know what you think about this opening chapter by leaving a review. I hope you like it! :)**

**FYI: This is an AU, in case anyone missed that in the summary.**

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><p>Ichigo Kurosaki sat dejectedly on his dad's living room couch, his arms folded across his chest. Why had he agreed to come here? How had he let this happen?<p>

A bony elbow dug into his rib cage and he took in a sharp breath.

"Rukia! Dammit, why'd you do that?" he exclaimed, gingerly rubbing his side.

The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Quit acting like a little girl. I barely touched you." Then she slid her left hand onto his thigh, her diamond solitaire glittering on her ring finger, and gave him a gentle pat. "You're so tense. It's just your dad and we all know he's harmless. Why are you in such a bad mood?"

His scowl deepened. "He's got something up his sleeve, I just know it. Why else would he set up this family dinner in the middle of the week? And where are Karin and Yuzu? He never does anything without his little girls around."

Rukia peered around the living room and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like they aren't here. That _is _a little strange."

"See? Like I said, it's a trap. Let's just get out of here."

Ichigo grabbed her hand and stood when a giant shadow materialized before him.

"Going somewhere, boy?"

Ichigo peered up to see the towering form of none other than Isshin Kurosaki. As always, his spiky, black hair stood on edge. He narrowed his eyes at his son. Ichigo released Rukia's hand and settled back into his seat grumpily.

"Guess not," he mumbled.

Rukia smiled sweetly up at her future father-in-law. "Hi."

Isshin broke into a wide grin and swept Rukia up into a warm embrace.

"My beautiful, loving daughter-in-law to be. I still can't figure out why you're with this loser, but I am forever grateful that you are."

"Whatever. You're the loser." Ichigo retorted and Isshin faked a pout.

"See how he treats me?"

Rukia playfully patted Isshin's back, smiling. Ichigo crossed his arms and frowned.

"Cut the crap, Dad. Why are we here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're having a family dinner," Isshin replied automatically.

Ichigo ran an agitated hand through his bright orange hair before he glared back at him. "You're lying. Karin and Yuzu aren't even here. They're part of the family too, right? And what are we supposed to eat? I don't smell or see anything resembling food."

Isshin stood silently for a moment, rubbing the dark whiskers on his chin thoughtfully before he sighed.

"Okay, you got me. It's not exactly as I said."

"I knew it!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows. "Why are we here then?" she asked, concern coloring her tone.

"Yes. Tell your beloved 'daughter-in-law' why you lied to her and manipulated her."

Isshin cringed at Ichigo's accusations and he grinned. He always got a kick out of making his father squirm.

"I'm so sorry, Rukia. I just knew my idiot son wouldn't come unless I made up a story. Here's the truth. We're having a family _meeting_."

"Okay. So where's the family?" Rukia asked.

"Right here."

Rukia's head shot up as she recognized the voice that responded to her question.

"Byakuya? What are you doing here?"

Ichigo became alert as the tall, regal man walked into the room and stood next to his dad. Byakuya Kuchiki gazed at the couple cooly, his dark eyes slowly traveling their faces, before sitting down in a chair across from them.

Ichigo locked eyes with Byakuya and they both regarded each other defensively. Their relationship had been strained from the beginning. Undeniable tension always surfaced when they shared a space.

Isshin chuckled a little too loudly as he plopped down in the other available chair across from the pair. His attempt to relieve the tension wasn't quite effective. Ichigo shot him a withering glance before resuming his staring contest with his fiancée's big brother.

"Brother? What are you doing here?" Rukia repeated uncertainly and Byakuya tore his eyes away from Ichigo to look at her.

"We have something important to discuss with you two."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What did my dad put you up to now?"

Byakuya calmly looked back at him. "Nothing. This was my idea."

"And I think it's a great one," Isshin chimed in. Ichigo gripped the pillow next to him, using every fiber of his being to restrain himself from throwing it in his face. There was an awkward silence as everyone waited for someone to speak. Finally, Isshin did. "We've talked a lot about this and we think you two need a shrink."

The words fell quickly out of his mouth and he got in a defensive stance immediately afterward, anticipating a negative reaction from his son.

"What?!" Rukia bellowed and all three men looked at her with surprise. "What are you trying to say? You think we're crazy?!"

Ichigo noted that the way she was clenching her fists and staring in wide-eyed shock did kind of make her look crazy. But he didn't appreciate the insinuation about himself either and shot another annoyed look at his father.

Byakuya sighed. "What Mr. Kurosaki is trying to say is we think it would be beneficial for you both to seek pre-marital counseling."

Ichigo stared blankly at Byakuya and Rukia had a questioning look on her face.

"Pre-marital counseling? You're serious?" Ichigo asked.

"Quite," Byakuya replied.

"What about us would make you think we would agree to that?"

Byakuya smirked. "Nothing. In fact we expected this response." He reached beside him and pulled out a large envelope. "But, hopefully this will convince you."

He pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the coffee table. Rukia's eyes narrowed as she read the title.

"A marriage contract?"

"How dare you!" Ichigo said menacingly, rising to his feet.

"Ichigo…" Isshin warned, standing and placing a hand on his chest.

"No! He's doing this on purpose. He thinks if he makes this stupid contract and gives me dirty looks, I'll back out of this." Ichigo pushed his father's hand away. Then he turned to Byakuya.

"Listen, I'm going to marry Rukia whether you like it or not!"

He felt a warm hand grasp his and looked down to see Rukia gazing up at him. She always had the ability to calm him down and the look in her eyes was working.

"Let's just see what they have to say," she said carefully. He could tell by her tone and her facial expression she was not the least bit happy about any of this either.

Ichigo's facial expression softened and he sighed as he lowered himself back down next to her. Rukia intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed. Isshin had also returned to his seat, but still seemed to be on guard, in case he needed to quell another outburst. Byakuya had watched the entire exchange with unflinching calm.

When everyone was seated again, he continued. "Are you done now? Because I was going to explain all of this."

Ichigo scowled but remained silent. He couldn't wait for the meeting to be over.

"As you can see, this is a marriage contract. It's not a legal document, but it is the best way I could come up with to enforce this." He looked pointedly into Ichigo's eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not against this marriage. But, I do have a promise to keep."

He shifted his gaze to Rukia. Ichigo grimaced when she shifted somewhat uncomfortably under her brother's stare.

"Hisana wanted you to be happy and cared for. Before she died, she asked me to always look out for you and help you. That's what this is."

At the mention of her sister, Rukia cast her gaze downward. Ichigo gently stroked the hand that was still intertwined with his and she smiled at him. He knew that was something that still bothered her, even if she didn't say it.

Byakuya pressed on.

"I'm sure you both have good intentions, but there are things you don't yet understand about being married to someone. We think it would be best to give you a strong start, so this is it. Hisana and I went through this before our marriage—"

"So did Masaki and I." Isshin cut in, weathering the angry look his son shot him.

"—and I think it helped us out very much. Dr. Unohana comes highly recommended so you're in good hands."

"And, let's face it. You two could use a little help. You are both so rough around the edges...maybe talking to someone will help you show your emotions in a more healthy way." Isshin added.

Ichigo tensed up again, preparing to yell at his father, but Byakuya interjected before they could get going.

"I've set you up with six sessions. If you want or need more, please continue. But, you are only required to do the first six. You have to complete them before the ceremony," he explained.

"No cheating either. Dr. Unohana will be letting us know if you miss a session without making it up," Isshin added.

Byakuya nodded in agreement.

"So now that you've heard our terms, do you agree?"

Rukia looked at Ichigo and he searched her eyes for a moment. It was obvious to everyone what he thought, but if it meant something to her, he would do it. The look in her eye confirmed that.

He turned back to Byakuya and frowned.

"Fine. We'll do it."

Isshin clapped in excitement while Byakuya pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and signed the contract. Everyone else in the room took their turns signing and then he put the pen away.

Ichigo tilted his head, running a hand through his hair again. "Since that's over with, do we get to eat or what?"

"Of course. We're going out to eat. You didn't think I'd invite you over here and not feed you?" Isshin looked genuinely hurt and Ichigo sighed in frustration.

Rukia glanced over at Byakuya.

"Brother, are you joining us?"

He nodded simply and Rukia smiled. Even if it was brought out by a person he didn't much care for, Ichigo enjoyed seeing her happy.

Isshin ushered everyone out of the house. He paused to gaze at the picture of Masaki on the mantle, smiling slightly, before closing and locking the front door.

~o0o~

Later that night, Rukia and Ichigo were lounging together on the couch. A reality show the couple only half paid attention to played in the background. Rukia sat with her back against the arm of the sofa, and her legs stretched out across Ichigo's lap while she surfed the web on her laptop. Ichigo was engrossed in something on his tablet.

"Hey, what are you doing over there?" Rukia asked glancing up at her fiancé . Ichigo was staring intently at his tablet screen, his eyebrows furrowed and his index finger sliding periodically up and down on the screen.

"Just looking up this Dr. Unohana character," he replied absently.

He didn't hear a reply and when he glanced up, Rukia had shut her laptop and was making her way closer to him. He created space on the couch for her to slide in next to him and look at his tablet.

"You're worried," she stated and he cocked his head to the side while shrugging.

"I wouldn't say that. I just want to know what we're getting into." The couple silently gazed at the information and after a long moment, Ichigo sighed. "Well, she seems fine but I guess we'll find out for ourselves soon enough."

Rukia nodded and muted the television. "Hey, can we talk for a second?"

Ichigo looked at her in alarm. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk about the 'family meeting' and this whole counseling thing. I feel like we need to touch base after all of that."

Ichigo groaned. "Do we have to?" he whined and Rukia nudged him with her toe.

"Come on, brat. You're the one researching our psychotherapist, so obviously it's on your mind."

"Fine." he relented, setting his tablet down. "What's up?"

Rukia paused before continuing. "Do you think it's a good idea for us to do this?"

"No," Ichigo replied flatly which got him an eyeroll from Rukia.

"I know you don't want to do it, but I'm asking if you think it might help us."

Ichigo paused as he thought about her question. He knew where she was going with this conversation and he wasn't sure if he wanted to have that kind of discussion. Still it might be helpful to at least put her concerns out there.

"Obviously the fact that my dad and your brother think it's a good idea makes _me_ think it has to be a bad idea," he began.

"Well, okay."

"But, I mean, sure. We could talk about my mom or your sister or our future, if that's what you're getting at."

He noticed her start to rake her fingers slowly through his brightly-colored locks as she began gently massaging his scalp. He immediately closed his eyes and let his head start to tilt as he relished in how good the sensations felt.

He was aware that she knew how easily he melted beneath her nimble fingers. She sometimes used this technique as a distraction when she wanted to convince him to do something he would probably say no to. She also used it as foreplay. Either way, Ichigo was enjoying it.

"You would really talk about your mom to a stranger?" she asked quietly. "You barely talk to me about her."

Ichigo opened one eye to peer at her. "Maybe. Do you want me to talk to you about her more or something?"

"No, not necessarily. I just didn't think you'd want to get into all of that in therapy."

"I don't want to, but it will probably come up."

Ichigo opened his eyes then, his mind traveling to a time when he was much younger. Rukia's wandering hand had stopped but he was no longer paying attention. "When she died, my dad was so freaked out. He made me get into counseling because he was sure I was going to become messed up by it. He said I was a mama's boy."

Ichigo was aware that Rukia had shifted her position and now had her head against his chest with her arms around his waist. He didn't know why, but in that moment it felt nice.

"That's when I learned that people were always wanting to talk to me about my mom. Like I would never get over it. So, if I bring it up first, at least I can do it on my own terms."

"Did you get over it?"

Her voice sounded nervous as she asked and Ichigo locked eyes with her. The conversation was going in a new direction and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

"You know, we're not in therapy yet," he warned and she smirked.

"Just humor me. I'm curious."

"Yeah, I think I did. I still miss her but I don't think that will ever stop."

Rukia looked away, sighing. "Yeah."

Ichigo heard how heavy her tone sounded and nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, Kuchiki. You're not supposed to get all depressed before we even meet with the doctor."

She chuckled lightly and nodded. "I know. It's just that I was hoping missing my sister would go away and I'm realizing you're right. It starts to fade but never disappears."

Ichigo wrapped both arms around her. "Yeah. Sounds like you need to talk to Dr. Unohana about your sister."

His tone was not joking but Rukia hit him anyway. "Thank you, Dr. Kurosaki. I will make sure to do that."

He lightly kissed her nose but then gazed into her eyes intently. "Seriously, do you think you need to talk about her?"

"And you said we weren't in therapy yet."

"Just curious."

She paused before nodding her head once. "Yeah, I do. If I'm being honest with myself, there's still some...stuff there."

Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. "You probably need individual therapy," he mused out loud.

"Hey, don't get carried away. We're only doing this so we can get married in peace, remember?"

At the mention of their impending union, he eased her left hand into his, fingering the ring that was there. "I told you we should have just eloped."

She pressed her lips against his, smiling into the kiss before she pulled away. "Yeah. We still can."

He kissed her back harder, then paused. "Don't go there. Because I will drag you away and marry you right now ."

She slid onto his lap, straddling him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're so romantic," she replied dryly.

Just as Ichigo placed his hands on her hips, preparing to continue his earlier kiss, he heard an impatient sigh.

"You guys have to do that here? "

Ichigo glared at his friend from over Rukia's shoulder and he returned the look evenly.

"Hi, Uryu," Rukia said sheepishly and the thin young man gave a slight nod.

"What are you even doing here?" Ichigo demanded.

"I live here, you ass. "

Ichigo sighed in exasperation. "You said you were going out tonight. So what happened? Did Orihime realize how much of a dork you really are and cancel?"

Uryu pushed his glasses up on his nose as he eyed Ichigo with mock distaste.

"If you must know, we're meeting in an hour. Apparently she likes dorks."

Then he turned to the short-haired girl sliding discreetly off of his friend's lap, much to Ichigo's dismay.

"Rukia, are you sure about marrying this one? There's still time to get out."

Rukia smiled.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm planning to stick around at least for a little while."

Ichigo was still frowning but the bite had disappeared from his expression.

"Hey, you just worry about yourself, playboy. The better this date goes, the less I'll see you moping around here," Ichigo said curtly, eyeing his roommate. Ishida returned his gaze without blinking.

"Your concern for my well being is noted."

The two men stared at each other fiercely for five more seconds before Rukia cleared her throat loudly.

"Hey, you two. We all know you're best friends so there's no use pretending that you hate each other." Then Rukia turned her gaze on Ichigo as she angrily pinched his arm.

"And you stop saying such harsh things to Uryu. He's probably nervous enough as it is about this date and you're not helping!"

"Ow! But, Rukia-"

"Shut up!" Then she turned to Uryu whose face was now a light shade of red. Her tone softened as she spoke. "Have a nice date with Orihime tonight. Ignore him and just be yourself, okay?"

Uryu shifted from one leg to the other as he slid his glasses up on the bridge of his nose again.

"I will. Thank you, Rukia."

Before any other words could be said, he disappeared back into his room, closing the door behind him.

"You're too nice to him." Ichigo mumbled, rubbing the spot on his arm where she had pinched him.

"And you complain too much." She forcefully turned his head back toward her so that their eyes locked and their lips were centimeters apart. Ichigo trained his eyes on hers, the stinging pain in his arm forgotten.

"Now, are we going to spend the rest of the night talking about him or are we-"

Ichigo deliberately pressed his lips to hers, effectively silencing her speech. He hoisted her back onto his lap and she leaned into him, letting a soft moan escape her lips. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He had no intention of stopping until she was begging him for more.

Out of nowhere, the voice floated in from the same corner as before. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Don't eat the leftovers in the fridge, because I need that for work."

Ichigo groaned in frustration. "Dammit, Uryu! Come on!" he shouted as he pulled away from Rukia and snapped his head around to glare angrily at his roommate. Uryu had poked his head out of his room, serving to ruin their moment yet again.

"Sorry, but I already told you this is a common area. Just keep your hands off my food," he said tersely. Then he disappeared again.

Rukia slid off his lap for the second time that night, shaking her head in amusement.

"He is definitely not letting you off the hook tonight." She said, chuckling slightly. Then she got up to start gathering her things to leave.

Ichigo shook his head in disbelief. Uryu had interfered once again and now the window of opportunity had been slammed shut in his face. His frown deepened as he watched Rukia put on her coat. She was supposed to be taking things off, not putting them on! He was unable to suppress the defeated sigh that escaped him.

He couldn't wait to get married and get the hell out of there.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey folks! So sorry it took me a little longer to post this next chapter. I am still in the process of writing chapters so I can't promise a specific updating schedule at this moment. But, I will pretty much post a new chapter as soon as it's written.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for the feedback on Chapter 1! I was so excited to hear that people liked the concept and I hope you continue to like it as I write. I don't think this story will be very long but I'm just going to see where the plot takes me.**

**Anyway, enjoy and let me know your thoughts! :)**

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><p>Ichigo pulled into the empty parking space and shifted the car into park. He then turned off the car and sat back in the driver's seat with a sigh. He glanced over at Rukia who cast him a reassuring smile.<p>

"We're here. Ready to spill your guts to a complete stranger?"

Ichigo groaned inwardly as he yanked his door open, "You're not helping," he muttered, slamming his car door closed.

Rukia laughed lightly as she joined him on the other side of the car. "Oh, stop. You're so nervous."

"I'm not nervous!"

"You were fidgeting the whole way here."

"I just don't like new things."

"Fine. But, trust me. It can't be as bad as you think it will be."

She slipped her hand into his as they entered the waiting room of the quaint office. Ichigo hated to admit it but feeling the solid warmth of her touch was making him a little less agitated.

They signed in at the front desk and took their seats. The room was completely empty except for them and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"This place is dead. How do they stay open with no customers?"

"Well, you only need a few super rich head-cases to keep things going, right?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Besides, do you really want the whole town to see you in here? They'll think you've gone crazy."

He knew she was teasing but he still wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Rukia…"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop."

Ichigo glanced at his watch. "What the hell is taking so long? I thought the whole point of doing the paperwork online was so we could be in and out quickly?"

"She's very good at what she does," Rukia said while thumbing through a magazine.

"Yeah we'll see," Ichigo said with a dark expression.

"Just chill out. It will be fine." She patted his leg affectionately.

Just then, a slender, dark-haired woman entered the waiting room. She had a gentle face and her hair flowed down her back. Her dark eyes seemed to smile even when she didn't. Despite himself, Ichigo found himself immediately feeling at ease as soon as he saw her.

Rukia put down the magazine and gave him a quick look. "See. Nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared," Ichigo said through gritted teeth.

Dr. Unohana caught sight of the couple and smiled as she approached them.

"You must be Ichigo and Rukia," she said and they both stood.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you." Rukia offered her hand and smiled pleasantly.

Ichigo also offered his hand but his face remained neutral.

"If you both don't mind, we can get started early today. My last client finished a bit before time."

Ichigo nodded along with Rukia and the pair followed her down a hallway. As soon as they entered her office, Ichigo looked around.

The lights were dimmed; not too dark to see but not so bright that it felt like a medical office. There was a miniature fountain in the corner where water trickled. Ichigo and Rukia were directed to sit on a plush love seat while the doctor sat across from them in a leather armchair.

The room was also much more comforting than Ichigo thought it would be. But, he also knew therapists employed little hidden tricks to try to manipulate people. He wanted to be ready for any occurrence so he remained on guard.

After everyone was seated, Dr. Unohana smiled at them again.

"So, as you know, I'm Dr. Unohana. It's really great to meet you both." She paused to take a sip of water and then continued.

"I understand you are here for pre-marital counseling. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, by the way."

"Thanks," Ichigo offered and Rukia squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Have either of you seen a therapist before?"

"No, I haven't, " Rukia chimed in.

Ichigo didn't speak and Dr. Unohana looked at him silently before asking. "And what about you, Ichigo?"

He sighed. "Yeah, when I was a kid."

He knew it would come up eventually but he didn't expect to have to start talking about his mom in the first session. He braced himself for the barrage of questions that usually followed.

"Okay. Well, I would like to explain to you a little about what your experience will be like here, just in case it's different than what you've already been through. Is that alright?"

Ichigo blinked, surprised. "Um, Yes."

"Great. So, what we discuss in this room remains confidential. I know your family members have requested to be notified of any missed sessions and that's why I had you both sign the release form and fax it to me. Other than that, no one will know what we discuss in here unless you tell them."

Ichigo liked the sound of that. He relaxed a little bit.

"Also, since we're doing couples therapy, I have a 'no secrets' policy. I would ask that anything you want to say about each other be said not only to me but in the presence of all of us. If one of you does tell me something private I will request that it be brought out during our sessions. Does that make sense?"

The couple nodded. Ichigo noted that Dr. Unohana had a peaceful tone to her voice that he found appealing. He was glad for that because he would have to listen to her for quite a while and it would have been difficult to do that otherwise.

"Do either of you have any questions so far?"

Rukia shook her head and Ichigo shrugged. Dr. Unohana pressed on.

"I have one more question before we get started, if you two don't mind. What would you like to get out of your time here?"

Ichigo despised this question. It always made him feel awkward because if he told the truth, he would sound like a jerk. At the same time, when he tried to lie and give the 'right' answer, it sounded fake.

After several moments of silence, Dr. Unohana turned to Ichigo.

"You seem like you have something on your mind. Anything you want to share?"

"Not really," he replied curtly and then felt the slight nudge from his partner.

"Ichigo, don't be rude!" Rukia whispered harshly.

Dr. Unohana chuckled. "It's okay. It's not the first time I've heard that response."

Rukia cleared her throat and then looked down. Ichigo knew she was about the spill the beans but didn't make any move to stop her. Maybe putting it all out on the table now would make this whole process easier.

"Sorry, Dr. It's just that, we were kind of forced to come here by our family members. They're making us do this before we get married," Rukia explained.

Dr. Unohana nodded. "I see. That must be frustrating to have someone making you do something you don't want to do."

"Well..." Rukia began.

"Yeah, " Ichigo stated firmly.

They spoke at the same time and then glanced at each other before eyeing the doctor. She smiled.

"Well, I appreciate your honesty. Do you both have any idea why your family would insist on you coming here?"

"To control us," Ichigo quipped and Rukia glared at him.

Then she turned back to face the doctor. "I think they might be worried about us."

Dr. Unohana paused before continuing. "You seem to have different ideas about that. However, you both could be right," Dr. Unohana said. She paused to grab some papers from her desk.

"How about this. For the next six weeks, we'll agree to meet and talk a little bit and see where things go."

Ichigo was willing to do that. But if she thought she was going to have him baring his soul in a month, she was setting herself up for disappointment.

"Fine," he replied and Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Okay, great." Dr. Unohana gave them each a handout.

"Here is a packet I would like for you to fill out. If you don't mind doing this right now, it should only take about five to ten minutes. Then you can give it back to me and we'll be just about finished for today."

Seriously? More paperwork?! Everything they had done so far could have been emailed to him and he could have completed the work at home. What a joke.

Ichigo begrudgingly took the clipboard from Dr. Unohana and read over the questions:

_Choose your top five priorities from this list and write them here in order of importance. _

_Where do you see yourself in five years? _

_What are your thoughts on child discipline?_

_Do you have any spiritual beliefs? If so, what are they?_

Crap. He'd barely given any thought to stuff like this. Was this all marriage was really about? What happened to just loving another person and wanting to be with them? Why was the third degree necessary?

Ichigo sighed heavily as he circled, checked, and wrote in answers. He glanced over at Rukia and saw her intently perusing her paper with her eyebrows furrowed. She looked to be concentrating hard and he smiled slightly.

She was taking this very seriously, like she did with everything. Pretty soon she would start chewing on her pen like she was taking an exam in school.

He refocused on his paper and forced himself to keep working on the questionnaire. It did feel a little like school and he resented that.

How did they expect him to get through six weeks of this nonsense? The 'contract' was a bogus piece of paper anyway. What was stopping him from simply balling up the paperwork, tossing it in the trash, and high-tailing it out of there?

It was Rukia. Ichigo knew she didn't want to admit it but this mattered to her. Her brother's view of her mattered. After being with her for just over two years, he knew she wanted her brother to be happy with her . She also trusted his judgment. Not to mention that Byakuya had thrown her dead sister's wishes out there to help seal the deal. What a bastard.

"Done!" Rukia called out and then handed the clipboard over to Dr. Unohana.

"Thank you."

Rukia then looked at Ichigo expectantly. He refocused his attention to his paper and filled in the last of his questions, then handed his paperwork over.

"Okay, I'll hold on to these until next week. Any questions?"

"I do have one," Rukia said. "What happens if we get to our last session and we're not done?"

"Do you mean that you want to know what we'll do if there are still some issues to work on by the time the sixth session ends?" the doctor clarified and Rukia nodded.

Ichigo shook his head in disbelief. He didn't want to even consider that they would have to go longer than six weeks. He was barely making it through this session.

"That's a good question. We can always continue to meet after we've had the sixth session and we can also change how often we meet. I think it would be better to get a few more sessions completed before we go down that road."

Rukia seemed satisfied with her answer and Ichigo inwardly sighed with relief. At least the doctor wasn't planning to drag this whole thing out.

Dr. Unohana continued to ask them more questions and Ichigo felt his patience wearing away. He was starting to run out of one word answers to give. Finally, mercifully, she decided to end the session.

"Okay, then. I think we can wrap up for today. Does this time next week work for you both?"

Rukia nodded and Ichigo pulled his car keys out of his pocket. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure he was going to come back. Sitting through these sessions was going to drive him crazy.

Dr. Unohana bid them goodbye and they headed out the front door and back to their car. Ichigo went to open the driver side door when Rukia grasped his hand and pulled. This caused him to stop in his tracks and Ichigo turned around to face her.

"What's up?" he asked and she frowned at him with a determined look in her eye.

"I can tell you didn't like it. You're thinking about stopping, aren't you?"

Ichigo looked away guiltily. He was always so transparent to her.

"Maybe."

"Why? Is it so hard to deal with your feelings for once in your life? I know I need this too but at least I'm trying."

She looked disappointed and Ichigo far preferred her anger over that emotion. Still, he felt his own frustrations bubbling up. This first session had been excruciating and they hadn't even talked about anything important yet.

"Dealing with what feelings? We're just filling out papers and answering questions. The only difference between this and school is that we don't get graded at the end."

Rukia folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him. "Are you that dense that you can't see the point behind the exercises? She's encouraging us to notice our differences and try to talk about things more. I actually think it will help us."

"What a shocker. Your brother tells you to do something and you agree with him!"

Rukia was fuming as she stepped closer to him.

"Don't start with this again, Ichigo! This may have started out as his suggestion but it's obvious that our communication sucks. You're so stubborn you would rather just stay mad at him instead of looking at the reality of our problems."

"Our problems aren't any bigger than anyone else's. You're blowing things out of proportion." Ichigo insisted. Rukia was usually a very level-headed person but every now and then she would turn up the drama.

As he turned to enter the car again, she touched his arm.

"I'm not trying to start a fight. Just promise you'll stick with me on this. I can't do it without you."

Her voice had lost all of its malice and sounded more like a plea. Ichigo sighed heavily, knowing it was impossible to resist her when she got like this.

He turned back toward her and pulled her into his arms, his hand stroking the small of her back.

"Okay. I'll keep going, but it's only because of you. Not your brother or my dad or even the doctor. Just you."

She leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. His body temperature rose as he pulled her firmly against him, enjoying the familiarity of her touch. Maybe he could get used to therapy if this was how each session would end.

After a moment, Rukia seemed to realize they were in a widely visible parking lot and pulled away. She smiled at him, resting her hands on his chest.

"You're too good to me, Ichigo Kurosaki," she said facetiously and he chuckled.

"I know."

She had successfully convinced him to continue. He had to admit that she could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. Still, he hoped he wouldn't find himself regretting that decision in a few weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! Again, I'm sorry for failing to update this story as often as I would like to. I was kind of focusing on another story and then I got a little stuck on this one. However, I feel like I'm back in action now so it's time to give Ichigo and Rukia some much needed attention! :)**

**Hopefully the updates should be more regular now. Thank you to those who have reviewed and followed. I truly appreciate the initial interest in the story and I hope to give you something interesting to read each chapter! :)**

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><p>"Hello, you two. How are things going this week?"<p>

Rukia glanced hesitantly at Ichigo to see if he had any intention of responding today. They had made it in for session two with Dr. Unohana and Rukia was uneasy. She had barely gotten him to return after last week's session and she hoped he would at least try to participate.

"Okay," he said.

She heaved a sigh of relief. "Yes, we're fine." Rukia followed up his response.

"Good to hear." Dr. Unohana reached for the paperwork they had completed last week and sat the questionnaires on her lap.

"If you have nothing in particular to discuss, I wanted to go over the papers you did last week."

Rukia nodded nervously. Inside she was uncertain of what kind of conversation would result from this week's session. She knew from filling out her paper that there were a number of items on the list that she and Ichigo had never even dreamed of discussing. She trusted she and her fiancé were okay but it was still a little scary not knowing how they matched up on paper.

Dr. Unohana handed them both their packets.

"I want to make it clear that this exercise will not have perfectly matching answers. If we encounter some viewpoints that are different, it doesn't automatically mean something is wrong."

Rukia wanted to laugh. That was a nice thought. But the truth was that if an item didn't match, an argument could be the end result, a sure sign something was wrong.

"Let's start with the first section. This area asked you to list your top five priorities that are most important to you from the given list. Are either of you willing to share your response first?"

Rukia knew it would have to be her. Ichigo wasn't about to start listing off things until he was forced to.

"I will," she offered and the doctor smiled and nodded.

"The most important thing to me is spending quality time with loved ones. Then I put communication, having a family, a stable career, and travel."

"Thank you, Rukia. Ichigo?"

Rukia noted he looked a little more pale and nervous than he had only moments ago, but she chalked it up to him having to be here for another session.

He fidgeted and sighed before reading off his answers.

"Stable career, wealth, time to self, outdoor activities, physical fitness."

Rukia felt frustration rise up in her belly as she went over his list in her head. Almost everything he had chosen had to do with things he liked. He hadn't said one thing about spending time with others. Having a family hadn't even made his top five! What did that mean for them?

"After hearing those answers, what are your thoughts?" Dr. Unohana asked and Rukia clamped her mouth shut. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to voice her concerns. Still, this was therapy and…

"There's only one thing that's the same on both of our lists." Ichigo said and Rukia looked over at him in shock that he had spoken first, much less at all. Then her eyes narrowed. He didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that their answers were on opposite ends of the spectrum.

"You want to know what I noticed?" she asked hotly. "Your list said nothing about having children or spending time with loved ones."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo demanded angrily. "Just because having a kid isn't on the top of my priority list right now doesn't mean you have to get all worked up!"

"Really? Should I also be concerned that you'd rather be by yourself than with your family?"

"I'm with my family all the time! Sometimes I need a break!"

"What about me?! Is it important for you to be around me? I'm considered one of your 'loved ones' but I doubt I even crossed your mind when you saw that!"

Rukia could see in Ichigo's expression he didn't want to continue this discussion. She crossed her arms, glaring as she thought angrily about what must have gone through his mind for him to answer that way. She had almost forgotten they had an audience until Dr. Unohana spoke.

"I'm hearing some concerns about your priorities not matching."

"Damn right!" Rukia spat out. She shot a withering glance at Ichigo and he shot one back.

"Rukia, why don't you tell us what's bothering you about Ichigo's answers."

"If the things that are important to us don't match, what are we getting ourselves into? What happens when I'm ready to start a family and he's not? Or when he wants to be by himself and I need him with me?"

"Has that happened already?" the doctor asked gently, after a slight pause.

Rukia felt her stomach knot up and she knew she was trapped. Ichigo was looking at her now, but his expression was serious if not concerned.

"Has there ever been a time where I wasn't there for you?" he asked, some of the aggression leaving his tone. Rukia averted her gaze to her lap. This was going to be so hard, but why were they even here? To talk about things, right? So she took a deep breath and plunged in.

"It was two weeks ago. I had asked you to spend the day with me and you cancelled at the last minute. Some work emergency or something."

"Yeah. We had an important client and they were requesting reports on sales numbers. This account could make or break us. They needed me."

"But I needed you!" Rukia shouted. The outburst seemed to startle Ichigo and he raised his eyebrows.

"Do you remember what day it was? Two weeks ago?" She asked quietly. Ichigo seemed to be racking his brain and the fact that he had to do that was making her anger start to resurface.

It took a moment and the transformation she saw him go through when the realization hit him was almost comical. He slapped his forehead and groaned loudly.

"Hisana's birthday," he finally said. "Rukia, I…"

"No. I'm not interested in hearing any excuses or how you're sorry about forgetting my sister's birthday."

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed but Rukia began to talk again after a moment. She had to get this out even if it sounded mean and hurtful.

"I know you technically weren't by yourself, but it's still pretty messed up, Ichigo. I know how stressed out you've been so I let it go. I have been waiting ever since for you to even notice it. But I'm realizing that you probably weren't going to think about it again until the anniversary of her death came around."

She sighed heavily as she motioned to the questionnaire.

"And now it seems like your priorities don't leave much room for other people. I've never forgotten an important day related to your mother and I'm always there for the memorials. Even then, you don't seem to need me like...like I need you." She said the last part of her statement reluctantly.

Ichigo locked eyes with her and the pain she saw there made her heart ache. It was the pain of a man realizing his mistakes and also realizing that he had no idea how to fix them.

"I do need you. More than you know," he said, a defeated tone in his voice.

There was another pause and then Dr. Unohana spoke.

"Rukia, I'm sorry for the loss of your sister...and also your mother, Ichigo. Before we continue, Ichigo, I want to give you a chance to voice your feelings about what Rukia is saying."

Ichigo was staring down at the ground and Rukia thought that he might have taken all he could of this process and had finally shut completely down. However, after a minute, he finally spoke.

"I feel like a complete asshole. I can't believe I forgot Hisana's birthday and to top it off, I left you alone. I guess I just get so focused on working that I miss those things."

Rukia couldn't bear to see him looking this lost so she slid her hand onto his leg. He immediately grabbed it and clutched it tightly. She instantly felt the warmth from him.

"I know it wasn't on purpose. It just bothers me because maybe we're not on the same page. Do we want to start off our lives together like that?"

"But, I want to be with you, Rukia."

"I want to be with you, too."

"So, we can just figure the rest out, right?"

Rukia didn't have an answer for that.

"Let's pause here. I think you both are doing a great job of communicating right now and I can see you're concerned about some of this new information. How about you sit down and talk about the differences in your priorities by next week? Try picking one or two things that are important to you both and discuss why they're important. See what comes of that conversation, okay?"

The pair nodded and Rukia couldn't help but think that this therapy process required a lot more talking outside of the sessions than in them. But, she guessed that was the point...they were only going to be here for a short time so if they couldn't do this on their own in four more weeks, they were screwed.

Rukia could already tell this was going to be a rocky road, but she was willing to do whatever it took to help their current relationship and their future life together. She hoped and prayed Ichigo was willing to do the same.

They left the office in silence and Rukia guessed that he was feeling the same level of concern she was. At the very least, she knew he had to have felt bad about her sister's birthday.

As they walked side by side, she felt his hand encircle hers. She automatically curled her fingers around his larger ones and squeezed. She glanced up at him and he was staring distractedly into space. She almost wanted to say something to break the silence but it seemed like he needed a little time alone with his thoughts.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder how much more pain this whole therapy process was going to reveal for both of them. And if they were going to be able to handle it.

~o0o~

"And then he said I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met! Can you believe that?"

"Uh, huh," Rukia mumbled. Orihime was updating her on her most recent date with Uryu but Rukia was only half-paying attention to her. The two were currently wedding dress shopping together and she was only half-paying attention to that activity as well.

"He wants to take me to that new show that just opened. You wanna double-date with Ichi? It'll be fun!"

"Sure," Rukia said, continuing to stare at the dresses but failing to actually see them. Then, she seemed to finally process what Orihime had just asked her and she stopped walking. "Wait, what? Did you just ask me if Ichigo and I would go on a double date with you and Uryu?"

"Mm-hmm!" Orihime said excitedly and Rukia shook her head.

"No way. Ichigo would never go for that. He would kill me if he knew I even accidentally agreed to it!"

"Oh, come on. Those two are secretly the best of friends. They would be a little grumbly toward each other at first, but eventually they'd have a blast."

"You're probably right, but I think you'd be better off asking him yourself. For some reason, he has a hard time saying no to you. I think it's because you're sweeter than the rest of us," Rukia pointed out. Orihime huffed half-heartedly.

"Fine. To be honest, I haven't even talked to Uryu about it yet. I'll set it all up."

As they continued silently on, Orihime cast a few furtive glances at Rukia. Then, she paused and spoke.

"Rukia, what's wrong? You seem distracted."

"Oh, nothing," Rukia said reluctantly as she gazed at one particular dress a little longer. She fingered the silky fabric and then released it. All of these dresses were starting to look the same and she sighed.

"So, how was therapy last week?" Orihime asked, shooting her another glance, and Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Not great," she replied, frowning as she turned to face her friend.

"What happened?"

"We had to go over our priorities and it turns out we have almost nothing in common. Now we have to talk about it before our session tomorrow and I don't know where to begin, which is why I've procrastinated until today."

Orihime nodded as she pulled one dress off the rack. She gazed at it and then showed it to Rukia. Rukia shook her head and then Orihime shrugged, putting it back.

"I'm sorry therapy isn't going so well. What do you plan to do?"

Rukia shrugged.

"I wish I knew. I would like to talk about and we're supposed to talk about it, but I'm pretty sure we're just going to fight. I'm tired of fighting."

Orihime patted Rukia on the back. "I get it. Do you think there's a reason why his priorities are the way they are?"

"Yeah. I don't know if he understands what it means to be with someone. You have to consider how your actions affect your partner and I'm not sure he sees that."

"Maybe. It just seems like he would have a good reason for doing the things he does. At least that's what I think..." Orihime offered.

Rukia thought for a moment. "What reason would that be?"

"I don't know. But it just makes sense to me."

Rukia's mind was filled with questions. She had accused him of being selfish, but was Orihime right? She realized now she did believe that but to some degree but had been too clouded over by anger to admit it.

He had been through a lot in his life so it did make sense that his behaviors served some purpose for him.

After a moment, she smiled slightly and glanced at Orihime.

"Thanks. That was really helpful."

Orihime looked surprised. "I'm not sure what I did, but you're welcome."

Just as she finished her statement, she quickly stood and reached for a sequined, lacy, frilly dress. Her mouth dropped open.

"Rukia! This is the one...I just know it!"

Rukia looked at the dress and then her eyes narrowed. She had never seen a more hideous piece of clothing in all her life.

"Orihime, I can't even...that's it. We're leaving!" She snatched the dress away from her and shoved it back onto the rack. Then she hurriedly grabbed Orihime's hand and dragged her out of the bridal shop.

"But, Rukia! It wasn't that bad!" Her protesting fell on deaf ears as Rukia continued to run as far away from the store as possible.

~o0o~

Rukia let herself into her apartment and shoved the door closed, sighing heavily. Dress shopping was going to be the death of her. And Orihime was not the most helpful shopping companion. She was a sweetheart but not so interested in finding something that matched Rukia's personal style.

When she walked into the living room, she saw Ichigo bent over in front of the television, trying to reach for something hidden behind her entertainment center. She shook her head with a smirk as she dropped her purse on the couch.

"Internet out again?"

He grumbled in reply.

Rukia then headed into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and stared blankly at the contents. She was only a little hungry and nothing appealed to her at the moment. Sighing again, she closed the door and turned to lean against it.

"There's nothing in your fridge, by the way. You should really go to the store," Ichigo called and Rukia laughed.

"Yeah, as if I'd do something like that."

Rukia then retreated back to the living room and found Ichigo upright and gazing down at his phone. After a moment he smiled.

"Finally! Geez, that took forever." Then he turned his attention to Rukia. He slid his hands onto her waist and kissed her. She smiled, kissing him back and slipping her hands through his brightly colored hair. After he pulled away, he raised an eyebrow.

"How was your dress shopping? All of your sighing tells me you didn't find 'the one' yet."

Rukia felt the urge to sigh once again but suppressed it.

"Yeah. Maybe I won't wear a dress at all," she mused and Ichigo's expression perked up.

"I'm definitely all for that!"

Rukia glanced at him quizzically and a sly smile crossed his face. When she realized what he meant by the statement, she slapped his arm and pushed past him.

"I didn't mean I would walk down the aisle naked! Idiot!"

She trudged toward the couch and plopped down, pouting slightly. Ichigo turned and regarded her silently.

"Are you really this upset about a dress? I'm surprised you care so much."

He lowered himself down next to her and her expression softened.

"It's not just the dress. It's this whole thing. Every day it gets more and more complicated. And the one thing I thought would be the simplest part is turning out to be impossible. I'm just frustrated."

Ichigo placed his arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently.

"You know, I've still got my eloping idea on the table."

"Yeah, I know." She smiled slightly and then thought back to the conversation she had with Orihime earlier.

"Hey, I know this is the last thing you probably want to do right now, but we should complete our homework before our session tomorrow."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to sigh heavily, but he nodded. "I know. I was hoping you would just forget about it and we could skip it."

"Sorry, no luck on that one." Rukia nudged him slightly and then thought about how she was going to approach this conversation. Finally, she just decided to go for it.

"So, I know my biggest issue was your priorities not matching mine. And we already talked about the Hisana birthday thing."

She felt Ichigo tense up next to her at the mention of his oversight. Even though they had hashed the situation out and he had apologized more times than she cared to count, the fact that he could forget something so important obviously still bothered him.

"Anyway, I think I know why you do what you do and I want you to know that I get it."

Ichigo eyed her skeptically. "So, you've figured me out? How?"

"Well, I was talking to Orihime today while we were dress shopping and she shed some light on the situation for me."

When she glanced at him again his expression was serious and he looked uncomfortable.

"You talked to Orihime about us?"

"Well, kind of. I was just answering her question. She wanted to know how therapy was going and it just came up in conversation."

Ichigo remained silent but he crossed his arms in front of his chest, frowning. Rukia continued her explanation.

"We went over everything together and—"

"Everything? What's everything?"

His tone was more firm than she expected and she eyed him warily. He was obviously mad about something and she hadn't even said anything yet.

"We talked about your priorities and what they say about you."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how bad it probably sounded. She was making him out to be the problem and that wasn't her intention.

"So, you didn't really talk about us...you talked about me."

"Well, yeah, I guess."

Ichigo stood, pacing in front of her, and she instantly became guarded. This behavior usually meant a disagreement was brewing.

"Ichigo, what's your problem? Am I not allowed to talk to my friends about my life?"

"It's not that. I just don't like the idea that you're talking to a mutual friend about our therapy sessions and my personal thoughts. That's private!"

Rukia felt her jaw clench.

"It's not like I told her every single detail!"

"But, why didn't you just ask me why I do those things? Why did you have to bring her in on it? I don't need everyone in town knowing our private business because then—"

"She's not going to tell everyone in town. And you want to know why I didn't ask you? Because you don't talk to me!"

Ichigo halted his pacing, rearing back as if he'd been slapped.

"What are you talking about?! I'm talking to you right now! And I thought we were supposed to go to each other when we have issues not everyone else around us!"

"Every time I try to ask you about your mom or why you want to spend so much time alone, you shut down on me. And I always have to force you to have a serious conversation. I would be crazy to keep trying the same thing when it doesn't work."

Ichigo pressed his lips together and turned to the side, glaring. After a few seconds, Rukia threw her hands up in frustration.

"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about! You're not the most welcoming person in the world. And excuse me if I get tired of having to push my way through to get you to respond to me."

Ichigo sighed tiredly and ran his hands through his hair. "Rukia, you're just making excuses. And don't act like you're an open book with me all the time either. How many times have you shut down on me when I start asking about things your brother is involved in?"

Rukia jumped to her feet. She had hit the end of her rope with this nonsense competition between him and her brother.

"Of course! Let's go back to that old conversation about my brother! Let me guess: you're going to say how I listen to him more than you and how he dictates everything I do and how I spend my life trying to please him. Did I hit everything?"

"You said it not me!"

"God, you are such an asshole! I'm done with this!" Rukia stomped into her room and slammed the door closed.

"Fine, forget it! I'm leaving! Call me when you grow up!" Ichigo yelled through the door. Then Rukia heard his keys jingling and the front door slam shut.

She collapsed down onto her bed and held her head in her hands. No wonder they were being forced to go to therapy. They could barely have an adult conversation without it turning into a shouting match. And after all that, they still hadn't managed to get their homework done.

"Whatever. I don't care," she muttered to herself. Still, she couldn't deny the the way her eyes burned and her vision blurred with unshed tears. She swiped at them angrily.

With all of their arguing lately, she could finally agree with Ichigo on one point: therapy sucked.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi! I finally have another chapter ready! I'm feeling a little more comfortable with this story and learning so much more about these characters than I knew prior to starting it. I hope you are all liking it so far.**

**Also, this is my first time writing an actual Ishihime interaction. Even though it's not a main ship of mine and Orihime isn't my favorite character, I do like them together. Anyway, hopefully my interpretation of their interactions is not too far off base. I tried to look back at anime episodes, manga chapters, and other fanfiction to give myself a starting point, but I honestly have no clue if I'm in the ballpark. Helpful feedback would be awesome!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Uryu and Orihime walked together in silence along the coastline. He decided to surprise her with a day trip to the beach after she had mentioned wanting to come there during their last date.<p>

She looked stunning. Her pale pink sundress hugged every curve of her voluptuous frame. Her burnt orange hair spilled down her back and swayed gently in the breeze. Uryu had a hard time concentrating with all of the physical distractions she presented.

As he listened to the waves crash against the shore, he noticed Orihime was uncharacteristically quiet. When he glanced at her, her eyebrows were drawn together and she was frowning. He didn't like seeing that expression on her face. Anytime she was upset, it caused a discomfort to rise in his chest.

He paused, gently grasping her elbow and it seemed to startle her out of her thoughts.

"Uryu? Why did we stop walking? Is everything okay?"

"That's what I'm wondering about you. You've been quiet since we arrived and you seem worried."

Orihime sighed.

"I just keep thinking about Ichi and Rukia."

Uryu nodded, guiding her to a nearby bench. "Yeah, it seems like the fight they had was pretty serious."

Orihime glanced up at him, nodding. They both sat down near each other, their arms brushing together. Uryu felt his heart rate increase. Her skin was incredibly soft.

"Rukia felt hurt. She didn't want to admit it to me but I could tell. How was Ichi?"

"He was quite angry. He came into the apartment and slammed the front door so hard, he almost knocked all of our photos off the wall."

He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"He wouldn't say what happened, but I suspect it hurt him, too."

Orihime's lower lip began to quiver and a pained expression came to Uryu's face. He slid an arm around her as he gazed at her with concern.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said?"

Orihime shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's my fault, Uryu! It's because of me that they fought like that. What if they call off the wedding and break up!? It will be all on me!"

Uryu squeezed her gently, stroking her arm with his thumb.

"Orihime, they aren't breaking up. The fact that they got so upset means they care about each other very much. But, I don't get it. How is this your fault?"

Orihime swiped at her eyes and sniffled. "I shouldn't have gotten involved. When I talked to Rukia last night, she said they started arguing about our conversation."

Uryu nodded in understanding.

"You were just trying to help."

"And I made things worse."

Emboldened by his desire to make her feel better, Uryu slid his arm down to her waist, bringing her closer to him on the bench.

"No, I think you did help them. Whatever you talked to Rukia about must have been something important and it sounds like they needed to discuss it."

Orihime placed a hand on his thigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder. His body temperature immediately spiked, but he kept his outward expression calm.

"They'll figure it out. They always do." he said. He hoped his tone was reassuring.

She sighed contentedly.

"You're probably right." Her voice still sounded uncertain and he tentatively brushed his lips against her forehead, ending with a soft kiss to her temple.

"You know, you can talk to me about these kinds of things. I don't like to see you unhappy and I want to help."

She turned to gaze into his deep blue eyes. "Thank you. How could I stay unhappy with you around?"

The blush that highlighted Uryu's cheeks was deep and this time he kissed her lips. She smiled, reciprocating his actions, and his entire body relaxed. He had done this with her many times now, but each kiss still felt like the first time to him. He hoped that feeling would never go away.

When they parted, Orihime looked into his eyes.

"Rukia and Ichi will definitely be okay, right?"

Uryu nodded. "Of course."

She searched his eyes for a moment and then wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. He squeezed her waist, returning the gesture. However, she had still looked concerned and Uryu frowned slightly.

He hoped, at least for her sake, they would work things out quickly.

~o0o~

Rukia and Ichigo sat silently in Dr. Unohana's office. It was finally time for their third session and they still weren't talking after their big fight the night before.

Rukia sat at one end of the loveseat with her arms crossed, glaring off into space. Ichigo sat at the other end impatiently drumming his fingers on his leg and glaring at the wall. They had arrived separately to the office, sat icily in the waiting room, and were continuing their behavior in the session.

"Rukia? Ichigo? Everything okay? You two seem upset." Dr. Unohana said.

"That's the understatement of the year." Rukia huffed.

Ichigo was now scowling but remained silent. Dr. Unohana paused, waiting patiently for one of them to respond. When neither one said anything, she pushed on.

"Rukia? Care to share?"

She rolled her eyes. Why did she always have to be the one to speak first while Ichigo constantly got off the hook? Well, not today.

"Why don't you ask him?" she spat out. Ichigo sighed and Rukia shot a glance at him.

"What? You had no problem talking last night when you were chastising me. Now all of a sudden you have nothing to say?"

"You're a baby."

"You're a jerk!"

The two fell silent again and Rukia noticed how hard her head was pounding. She hadn't been this infuriated in a long time.

Dr. Unohana glanced at them both and Rukia thought she detected a flicker of understanding in her eye.

"How did your homework assignment go?" the doctor asked.

"It didn't," Ichigo grumbled.

"Yeah, and it's your fault! If you would just talk about things like a normal human being, we could have finished the assignment and been done with it."

"Well, if you weren't spreading our business all around town, then maybe I would have wanted to talk about it!"

"How can you even say that!? I wasn't spreading our business around! I talked to one person who is a close friend and you make it into an international incident!" She felt tears stinging in her eyes and she knew her voice was a little too loud. Still, she was past the point of caring now.

"You're so dramatic. Just admit you were wrong and we can end this!" He was glaring at her, anger flaring up in his eyes.

"You're the one being dramatic! And you don't get to tell me what to do! Plus, I'm not wrong...you're the one who's wrong!"

"Whatever. I'm done."

"Me too!"

Another cold silence fell between them and Dr. Unohana nodded.

"I think I see what's happening here. Let's try something." She pulled out two pieces of cardstock and handed them to the pair.

"What's this?" Rukia asked. It looked like a list of rules.

"These are what we like to call fair fighting rules. I want you both to look over them and see if there are any you think you would have trouble following."

Rukia glanced down the list. No interrupting, no name calling, no bringing up old events...at no point had she and Ichigo ever fought without breaking all of those rules. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Rukia? Is there one you think you'll have trouble following?" Dr. Unohana questioned.

She sighed. "No. There is just no way we're going to be able to do this."

"Yeah, it's a lost cause." Ichigo agreed. Rukia rolled her eyes. Finally, something they agreed on!

"I understand your concern. Remember, you just learned about this today, so is it okay if we try it first and see how it goes?"

Rukia nodded after a moment and Ichigo sighed.

"I guess so."

"Okay, let's go back to your conversation yesterday and apply these rules to it. If either of you does any of the things on the list, I'll stop you. How does that sound?"

Rukia and Ichigo nodded. This sounded like it was going to be a messy conversation, but she was willing to give it a try. She glanced at Ichigo and he glanced at her, his light brown eyes displaying uncertainty and frustration. They both quickly looked away and back down at their lists.

"Okay. Would either of you like to start by talking about what led to the disagreement yesterday?"

Ichigo paused and then released a breath.

"Rukia came home after dress shopping with a friend of ours. She mentioned that she talked to our friend about something we discussed in here and I got angry."

"Wait, that's not—"

Dr. Unohana held her hand up and Rukia fell silent. Rule number one...broken.

"Hold on, Rukia. Let's make sure Ichigo's finished first." Then she turned her attention back to him.

"Look, I get that she was trying to help, but she shared our personal stuff with an outsider. And then, when I tried to call her on it, she started acting like a baby! I mean—"

"He name-called!" Rukia shouted and Ichigo motioned to her as if she was proving his point. She just glared at him.

"Okay, let's back up. I appreciate you both trying to follow the fair fighting rules. You'll need to have patience because it's a new skill you're learning, but practicing will help. Ichigo, I'm going to let Rukia respond to what you said now, if that's okay."

He crossed his arms, his scowl deepening. "Fine."

Rukia plunged in.

"Like he said, I was just getting advice from her! I don't know why he doesn't trust her because she's never done anything to hurt us in the past."

"It's not that I don't trust her. It's that I want us to deal with our issues by ourselves."

Rukia sighed in exasperation. "But we aren't good at doing that! So, I problem-solved."

Ichigo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, but shouldn't we learn to problem-solve together?!"

There was a break in the conversation and Dr. Unohana smiled.

"I don't know if you both heard that but you just took turns speaking without interrupting each other or name-calling. That was really good."

Rukia hadn't noticed but it did feel nice to not have to struggle to get her thoughts out before being cut off or to defend against an attack. Maybe they were starting to get the hang of this just a little bit.

"Rukia, if you don't mind me asking, what did your friend tell you about Ichigo's priorities?"

Rukia's face grew warm. With all of their bickering, she realized she had totally forgotten to use the information she had been given.

Ichigo had turned to look at her now, obviously interested in what she had to say.

"Well, she just suggested that he might have legitimate reasons for what he does.

"Hmm, that's interesting. Your friend sounds like she cares a lot about you two. Can you give us an example of what she meant?"

Rukia hesitated only for a moment. She wanted to look at Ichigo to see what he thought of all of this, but she was worried it would make her lose her nerve. So she continued to look at the doctor.

"After she said that, I thought about it and the only thing I came up with was...he must do those things to help the people he cares about."

The doctor nodded. "I see. Can you explain a little bit more?"

She paused, feeling as if she was finally figuring out something important. Then she continued. "He gets really upset when someone mistreats me and he seems happy when he helps me. So I wonder...maybe he thinks something bad will happen to me if he can't protect me. At the same time, maybe he thinks he can't protect me unless he keeps his priorities the way they are."

Ichigo was now staring hard at his lap and Rukia wondered if she had upset him. Dr. Unohana also noticed his behavior and turned to him.

"Ichigo? Any response?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "I've never thought about it, but maybe..."

Rukia's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe he was actually considering her words as being true! The world must have been coming to an end.

"Rukia, you seem surprised," Dr. Unohana observed.

"I am! I never thought he might consider that as a possibility...I mean, I wasn't even sure about it myself." Then she paused and gently continued.

"Ichigo, I understand you want to protect me, but I don't want that to be our thing. I've spent most of my life dealing with an overbearing brother who has been concerned about me ever since my sister died. I don't need it from you, too."

Ichigo was giving her eye contact again and a slight look of desperation was in his eyes.

"But, I don't want anything to happen to you," he said quietly. Then more firmly, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Dr. Unohana spoke up.

"I think we're hitting on some pretty important things right now. And I have a new assignment I'd like for you both to do by next week."

She paused as if thinking and then continued.

"It sounds like you may have some unresolved issues surrounding the loved ones you lost. More importantly, those issues seem to also be directly related to your close family members who are still alive."

Rukia was starting to notice that her anger toward Ichigo had all but disappeared and now she was considering the impact their families were having on their relationship. When did that change happen? Was this whole therapy thing actually working on them?

"So, here's my thought. Rukia, I would like you to sit down and talk with your brother about some of the things you've mentioned here. The fact that you felt suffocated by him after your sister died would be a good place to start. Ichigo, I would like for you to talk to your dad about the circumstances of your mother's death. Maybe he can shed some light on things you weren't aware of before. What do you both think?"

Neither one immediately responded and Rukia knew why. Dr. Unohana was asking them to be vulnerable around people they had spent their lives trying to keep their private feelings from. It was going to hurt like hell and they didn't want to feel that.

"Okay, I'll do it," Ichigo finally said reluctantly and Rukia wanted to wrap her arms around him. Considering where he was when they first started this process, she was completely impressed.

"I will, too," she added.

"Great. I know this seems scary to you both and will be difficult to endure, but I applaud you for wanting to try. And, who knows? Maybe after you both do this, you'll find that talking to each other may get a little easier."

They glanced at each other again and this time Rukia felt a strong pull to be closer to him. They were going to need each other to get through this.

Dr. Unohana went over a few more points with them and spent the rest of the time discussing some additional skills to help with their communication. Rukia hoped they would be able to remember everything when it came time to use all of this stuff. Finally, just when she felt her brain couldn't take in any more information, the doctor concluded the session.

"You two have done a lot of great work today so let's go ahead and stop there. Good luck with your assignments and I'll see you next week. "

They both stood and Rukia followed closely behind Ichigo as they headed to the door. When they entered the lobby, she reached out to touch his arm.

"Hey, look. I shouldn't have told Orihime about all that stuff. I should have talked to you. I need to trust that we can learn to communicate better."

Ichigo turned to gaze at her, a pained expression on his face. Then he gripped her hands in his.

"What you did helped us. And I was being a jerk about the whole thing. You should be able to talk to your friends if you need to."

Rukia was shocked about his admission, but she was more relieved that they were okay again.

Then, he wrapped his arms around her firmly and she leaned against him. He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes as she smiled. She had missed being near him, especially considering she had spent the better part of last night sulking alone in her room.

"I didn't realize how well you know me." His expression was warm and it made her grin.

"Me neither. Looks like I've got your number, Kurosaki."

"Yeah, sure you do," he said, a smirk on his lips.

Rukia chuckled. "Okay, let's get out of here," she suggested and he nodded in agreement.

As they headed toward the exit, she realized how nervous she actually was about this new task before them. Every time she thought about sitting down to talk with her brother, her stomach began to knot up. Judging by the anxious look in Ichigo's eye, he felt the same way.

She truly hoped this whole plan wouldn't make things worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey folks! We get to spend a little time with Ichigo and his family now so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it! :)**

* * *

><p>Ichigo walked into his dad's house, shoving the front door closed behind him.<p>

"Karin! Yuzu! Dad? Where is everyone?"

The place appeared to be empty and he wondered if he'd chosen to come the one night that everyone was gone.

He wandered into the kitchen and saw food cooking on the stove but no sign of his youngest sister. He grabbed a spoon sitting near a particularly large pot and dipped it into the sauce. As he slurped the tangy flavor, he nearly jumped when he heard a shout from behind him.

"Ichi! Don't taste the food while it's cooking! You'll ruin your dinner!"

Yuzu stomped over to him, snatching the spoon away from him and he looked at her sheepishly. Now that she was a 20-year-old college student, she seemed more willing to voice her displeasure. She had also gotten pretty scary as she got older.

"It tastes great, Yuzu. Mom's recipe?"

She nodded continuing to stir. "I know dad likes to eat this around her birthday."

Ichigo watched his sister carefully as he sat down on a barstool. She had always been the most emotional of the three of them, a trait she received honestly from their dad. Her personality was almost exactly like his, except with a little dose of empathy and kindness from their mother. It was comforting to have her nearby representing both of their parents in her own way.

As he quietly watched her prepare dinner, he felt a strong need to protect her rise up within him. She had always been the one who depended on him the most. Whenever she had nightmares, she often ran to him for comfort. When she felt sad or lonely, she preferred his presence. Lately he hadn't been around as much, but he wondered if she still needed him that way.

"You okay? You seem quiet."

She sighed.

"I'm fine. It's just...I don't think I cooked this right."

"What are you talking about? It tastes amazing! It's probably even better than—"

"Stop!" Her voice was strong and vulnerable at the same time.

"Yuzu..." Ichigo was startled by her outburst.

"Just don't say it, okay? Please don't compare it to hers. It'll never be as good and you know it."

Ichigo stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What's going on?" His eyes were etched with concern.

Yuzu set down the spoon and gripped the counter with both hands.

"I can't be like her. I've tried so hard for so long, but I'll never be able to do it."

"We don't want you to be like her. We just want you to be you." Ichigo felt silly saying it but it was all he could come up with in the moment.

"But, who am I really? All this time I've been trying to fill her role. That's all I know."

Her voice was choked with emotion and Ichigo felt his chest tighten. It was hard to see her cry but he could sense it coming. He steeled himself.

"And now you're going to get married and leave so you and Rukia can start having all those grandkids dad wants. And I'm...really going to miss you, Ichi."

The last part of her statement came out as a strangled cry and then her words dissolved into sobs. Ichigo felt his heart breaking as he saw his baby sister's shoulders shaking with the force of her weeping. He pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her as she cried into his chest. The action felt sad but familiar.

"I am getting married but I'll always be here for you."

He paused, thinking about how long it had been since he last talked like this with her and a pang of guilt hit him hard. He was failing her as a big brother.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry I haven't been around like I should. But I'm going to do better, I promise."

Yuzu pulled away, wiping her eyes with her arm.

"No. I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me. You have your own life to live."

She was trying her best to stop her tears but they just kept on coming. God, how long had she been holding all of this in? He was such a selfish jerk for not noticing what a hard time she was having.

"You're part of my life. You're my little sister and I will always look out for you, okay?"

She nodded, sniffling, and he pulled her into another hug.

"And as far as this whole thing with mom...we never wanted you to replace her."

"It's the only thing I could do to help the family."

"But it's not fair to you," Ichigo insisted.

Yuzu looked up into his eyes, her large brown orbs still watering and her lower lip trembling.

"Then, what am I supposed to do?"

"Just stop trying to imitate her and figure out what it is you want."

The gruff voice came from the entrance to the kitchen causing both Ichigo and Yuzu to look over sharply.

"Dad?" Yuzu said and she sounded just like the little girl Ichigo would always remember her to be.

Isshin took a couple of steps into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have let this go on so long. Ichigo's right. It's not fair to you and your mom would kill me if she knew I was screwing up so badly at caring for you. Please forgive me?"

Yuzu began to cry again as she ran to him, letting him embrace her. Ichigo ruffled his hair and sighed. He locked eyes with his dad and they shared similar grim expressions. He could tell they both were feeling the same level of responsibility for her current emotional state.

Suddenly, Yuzu jumped back from her dad's embrace in a panic.

"Oh no! The sauce!" She sprinted back over to the stove and turned down the fire as she furiously stirred the pot.

"I've got to get this food done." She was talking mostly to herself. Then she glanced over at Ichigo and her dad.

"Thank you both. I'm okay, really. I need to figure some stuff out, but it will be fine."

She cast her signature bright smile at both of them and continued cooking. Ichigo went over to her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"We'll talk more later," he said and she nodded.

"Thanks, Ichi. I'm looking forward to it."

Then he walked toward the kitchen entrance. As he passed by his dad, he paused.

"Got a second?"

Isshin nodded. "Yeah."

He walked upstairs to his old room and his dad followed silently. As obnoxious as he could be most of the time, Isshin was good at taking things seriously when he needed to.

Ichigo flipped the light switch on in his room and plopped down on his bed. His dad lowered himself into the desk chair opposite him. Ichigo paused to look around.

"It still looks the same in here. I thought you were going to make this into your man cave or whatever," Ichigo observed.

"Yeah, I was. Then I remembered I need an extra room for visitors. Hopefully tiny, adorable visitors that look more like Rukia and less like you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, sighing. "Dad, not this again."

He smirked. "I couldn't resist." Then his tone became serious again.

"I know you didn't show up here unannounced to talk about your room. So, what's up?"

Ichigo shrugged and he felt his heart starting to pounded. He really wasn't sure he could actually go through with this.

"I'm supposed to do a homework assignment for therapy."

Isshin nodded somberly. "I see. What's the assignment?"

Ichigo paused, crossing his arms. "I'm supposed to talk to you about mom."

"Just in general or—"

"About her death," he said tonelessly and Isshin looked down.

The two men sat in silence for several moments before Ichigo finally spoke.

"I'm not sure how to do this exactly." He was being totally honest. Maybe this was all a big mistake.

"Well, why were you asked to talk to me?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. "The doctor thinks maybe some of the stuff I do, the way I need to protect Rukia and everyone else, might have to do with her."

Isshin leaned his elbows on his knees, his hands folded together. He seemed to be thinking hard and Ichigo watched him silently.

"So, what do you think?" his dad finally asked.

"I don't know…"

"You do know her death wasn't your fault, right?"

Ichigo sighed in exasperation.

"Dammit, I know that! I'm sick of hearing it!" He was shocked at his own anger.

"Okay, okay," Isshin said, holding up his hands.

Another pause, and then he continued. "The girls and I don't blame you for your actions that day."

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut, his fists clenching. His father had unknowingly hit on the one thing he had never understood about the situation.

He had been a coward. When the robbers had come to steal from his mother at gunpoint, he had cowered and cried like a baby. Granted, he was nine years old at the time, but he could have done something. Even if he couldn't have prevented her death, he could have at least fought for her at the end. Instead, she had protected him and paid the ultimate price.

"Why?" The question was barely above a whisper and Isshin leaned forward as if straining to hear it.

"Why what?"

"Why don't you blame me?"

Isshin was clearly taken aback by the question. "What do you mean? You want us to blame you?"

"Yes!"

"You're not making any sense."

Ichigo glared down at the worn carpet of his bedroom floor. "I know I couldn't have saved her, but I should have tried anyway! I just stood there like a weakling and watched them gun her down and kill her. I didn't do anything to stop them!"

"Would you have preferred if they shot you instead or took down both of you? Because that's what would have happened if you did that!" Isshin's voice was slightly elevated and Ichigo glared up at him.

"When I heard about what happened that day and I knew Masaki had died, my only thought was about you. I was so grateful you were alive."

It was the first time Ichigo had ever heard his father choke up outside of the showy, false outbursts of emotion he usually gave. Ichigo was surprised to find a lump forming in his own throat.

"If you had died and your mother had lived, she would have never forgiven herself. And if you both had died, our family would have fallen apart."

Ichigo shook his head angrily. "I don't believe it."

"I don't care what you think! It's true!" Isshin shouted. Then he added more gently, "If you really believe being overprotective and selfless is going to make up for what you think you failed to do when your mother was killed, then I suggest you take a step back. Because you have nothing to prove. You have nothing to make up for. You didn't do anything wrong, son."

Isshin had said the last sentence with emphasis and Ichigo hadn't felt closer to breaking down then he did just then. Still, he held his head in his hands, his eyes looking down at the floor but seeing nothing, as he struggled to reign in his emotions. Momentarily, he felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's difficult, but I hope you come to see things from our point of view. We just want you to be happy and not to take on such a heavy burden. If you at least do that, we will be happy." Isshin then squeezed his shoulder and left the room.

Ichigo remained where he was, his door slightly ajar, and his mind raced. Even with his father clearing some things up for him, he still felt awful. Just because his living family didn't blame him for not doing more that night, it didn't mean his mother wasn't angry.

"Mom, how can I face you?" he said quietly, gripping his hair. At least she wasn't there to tell him she was disappointed in him but he still saw it. In every photo, her eyes seemed to glare back at him and every nightmare he had was filled with her saying how he had let her down. Whether or not it was all in his mind never factored into his thought process because he was certain all of these signs were conveying her true feelings to him.

Worst of all, there was nothing he could do about it now. He couldn't go back in time and fight for her. He couldn't even force her to take a different way home from the park. There was absolutely nothing he could do...except ensure the safety of his family. That was his only way of making amends.

And now he was being told he couldn't even do that! What was left for him then? What good was he to anyone without that goal?

He continued to sit with his head down, eyes squeezed shut, and hands cradling his head when he felt cloth brush against his arm. His bed lowered slightly as someone sat next to him and he already knew who it was without looking up.

He didn't say anything for several moments and his sister didn't either. That was one of the things he loved most about Karin...she always seemed to know when to speak and when to be silent. His father and Yuzu often struggled with that when it came to him but Karin always made the right choice.

She sat so close to him that their legs were touching and, surprisingly, he was comforted by that. After a minute passed, he lowered his hands from his face and turned his head slightly toward her.

"Hey," he said simply and she nodded, acknowledging his greeting. After a moment, she sighed, absently scratching her leg.

"I hate mom's birthday. Everyone gets all mopey."

Ichigo smirked. "I never noticed."

"It's been a while since we've all been together around this time. Usually Yuzu and I have school or you are working or dad is on a business trip. But Yuzu always gets upset when making mom's food for dad, dad gets all quiet and weird while he stares at mom's old photos and...well...I guess you just stay away."

Ichigo felt a stab in his chest at her words. For all his need to protect them, he didn't seem to be around when his family needed him most.

"Karin, I—"

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's just how everyone deals with it."

Ichigo fell silent, clasping his hands together.

"What about you? What do you do around this time of year?"

Karin shrugged. "I guess I just try to not be a bother."

"But you always do that."

Karin nodded. "Yeah. So I just try harder."

Ichigo chuckled. Of course she did. After another moment of silence, Karin cleared her throat.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but dad's right, you know."

Ichigo finally looked over at her and she just stared straight ahead.

"About what?"

"You not blaming yourself for what happened when mom was killed."

Ichigo swallowed hard as he kept his eyes trained on her. She had never spoken this way to him before and to say he was surprised was an understatement.

"So you heard us talking?"

Karin shrugged. "Kind of," she admitted. "You guys were a little loud. I sort of had a feeling you felt that way so you just confirmed it."

Ichigo shook his head in amazement. He had never met anyone more perceptive in his life. It was as if Karin was able to read his mind.

"Mom loved you a lot. Like more than I've ever seen a mom love her kid. I don't remember much, but I have these images in my head of how she would talk to you and hug you. And all of the photos of you two are so lovey-dovey it almost makes me sick."

Ichigo's eyes began to sting but he smirked at her comment.

"I mean, come on. Would someone with such strong feelings for you turn around and hate you for not risking your life for her? What kind of person would do that? Not a real mother. Certainly not our mother."

Ichigo sniffed as he nodded, his jaw clenching and unclenching. His hold on his emotions was tenuous at best but Karin's words were sinking in. When had she become so insightful and grown up?

Then she turned to lock eyes with him and nudged him with her arm. "So chill out a little, okay? Don't be so rough with yourself."

His gaze softened and he quirked his mouth up in a half smile.

"I guess I can try that." He nudged her back and the next thing he knew, they were both nudging each other back and forth as they chuckled. After a particularly hard shove that sent Ichigo sprawling, he grabbed her into a loose headlock. He released her after only a moment but noticed she remained attached to him with her arms wrapped around him in a hug. He slipped his arm around her, squeezing her back.

"Thanks, sis," he said as they held each other a little longer. Then they parted just as they heard an an insistent shout from downstairs.

"Dinner's ready! Hurry up before it gets cold!"

They both got to their feet, knowing how angry Yuzu got when they took too long to get to the table. As Ichigo walked downstairs with Karin, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Maybe everyone would be alright after all.


End file.
